Chapter 2

In a women's clothing store… Nora's face was beaming with joy. She counted the 600,000 Dollar she got from selling her watch and sighed with satisfaction. Until some time ago he was not sure that the watch would sell for such a high price. But when the seller told him the amount, his eyes lit up with joy. She found this watch in a hotel five years ago when she played a trick on her best friend Ruby. Nora was called in when the hotel staff found the watch that day. She immediately accepted it as soon as she realized its value and significance. If she hadn’t been short of money recently, she would have forgotten that she still had the watch. "Six hundred thousand Dollar… I can spend this for a long time," she said to herself with a smile. She was counting the money and feeling like a winner, like everything was going her way. But her moment of happiness didn't last long. Suddenly the shop door slammed open and a tall, serious-faced man entered. Nora's hands stopped, and her joy vanished in a few moments. Nora quickly gathered her mobile phone and money, as if trying to avoid making a big mistake. She got up and stood to greet the customer, putting on a forced smile. "Welcome," she said softly, trying to hide her nervousness. As she looked up, her eyes fell on the man standing in front of her. The man's demeanor was very different—serious and solid, his deep eyes seemed to be observing everything. His sharp facial lines and personality were so impressive that it seemed as if he had come with some special purpose. His very presence was creating uneasiness in Nora. Nora was stunned for a few moments. What was such a man with such an extraordinary personality doing in his small shop? He didn't understand, and his words were slightly hesitant. "Sir... Sir, what can I do for you?" She tried to keep her voice steady, but a mix of fear and surprise was clearly visible on her face. The question that kept coming to her mind was how such a person could come to her shop. She was wondering how she would manage such a big 'Buddha' here. The man looked at her calmly, without any haste. His gaze was cold and stern, but there was also a deep confusion in it. "Are you Nora?" the man asked, speaking directly, his voice serious and heavy. Nora's heart began to beat faster. This voice and its questions were so direct that she felt she was about to get into a big mess. On the other hand, Michael's subordinates had already informed that the name of the woman selling the watch was 'Nora'. Now the man was facing the one he was looking for. Nora said in a rush, "Yes, yes, I am Nora. May I know who you are?" Her voice was a little more confident now, but she was still nervous deep inside. She bowed her head, trying to avoid facing the man with her eyes. Michael calmly took a watch out of his pocket and held it out to Nora, asking, "Is this your watch?" Nora's heart began to beat faster as she looked at the watch. Her breathing became faster in nervousness. It was the same watch she had found at the hotel five years ago. She mustered up her courage and said with confidence, "Yes, it's mine." Michael's eyes were staring at her sharply. He asked the next question seriously, "Five years ago, the woman in room 520 of the Wanxiang Hotel, was it you?” Nora's face turned white upon hearing this. She instantly remembered the moment when she had booked room number 520 so that she could harm her best friend, Ruby. How did this man know all this? And why was he suddenly talking about the past? He took a deep breath and gritted his teeth and courageously admitted, “Yes, it is me. I am responsible for whatever happened that night." Michael put the watch in her hand and said without any emotion, "My name is Michael Carter. If you have any problems in the future, you can contact me." Nora's eyes widened. Her face turned red with disbelief and excitement. "You... you're Michael Carter?" she cried out in surprise.Was this the same Michael Carter, known as the super rich and powerful young master? Before she could understand anything more, Michael's assistant stepped forward and gave her a business card. "Miss Nora, this is my young boss's business card. It has his personal phone number written on it.” Nora took the card with trembling hands and saw the name "Michael Carter" written in golden letters on it. She felt a shock in her heart. He realized that five years ago, the man who was with Ruby was Michael, not someone else. "Oh my god!" she thought to herself. "Ruby was so lucky!" As soon as this thought crossed her mind, she grabbed Michael's hand and pretended to cry pitifully. "Young Master Carter," she cried, "that night hurt me very much. I still have nightmares. I can't sleep properly, or even eat properly…” A few tears started to roll down her eyes. She looked like a total victim. After all, Ruby was abroad now, and only Nora and her friend were witnesses to this. She was trying her best to prove herself innocent and take advantage of Michael. She was thinking that by taking advantage of this opportunity, she would get some house or property as compensation. And if everything went her way, maybe she would even marry into the Carter family. Michael looked into her eyes and said seriously, "Don't worry. I'll take full responsibility." There was a coldness in his voice that Nora couldn't understand. Michael's assistant stepped forward and took out a key and said, "Miss Nora, this is the key to the villa. The young master specially prepared it for you. From now on, the Carter family will take care of you completely." Nora felt as if she was in a dream. In an instant, she had become rich! She clutched the villa key and the watch tightly, her eyes full of greed and excitement. Michael looked at her, but there was no special expression on his face. "I have work now, I'm leaving," he said coldly. Nora smiled happily and said, "Be careful, don't fall on the stairs!” As the Carter family's car drove away from outside the shop, Nora danced around in her shop several times like a fool holding the villa's keys and watch. Her happiness knew no bounds. She kept mumbling, "I am rich! I will be rich now!” The thought of Ruby came to his mind, and he teased, "Hopefully, that little bitch Ruby never comes back from abroad! If she doesn't come back, I will become the daughter-in-law of the Carter family in her place, and no one will ever know what happened in room number 520 of that hotel 5 years ago?” Michael sat in the car, his eyes lost in the emptiness outside the window. His eyebrows were tightly furrowed, as if reflecting the turmoil going on in his mind. Without paying attention to the road ahead, his thoughts were focused on Nora—there was a vast difference between the Nora of today and the Nora of five years ago. He thought for a moment, "Is this the same girl I knew?” Michael took a deep breath, a slight disappointment in his eyes. He couldn't believe that she was the same Nora he remembered as someone else. But his conscience made him feel that he was responsible for the situation. "I was the one who changed her life," he thought, blaming himself. That night five years ago had robbed Nora of her innocence. It had inadvertently left a burden on her that she could not recover from. Even though she seemed changed today. Michael knew that the direction of his life was somehow influenced by that incident. This was the reason why he felt responsible for Nora. His conscience was condemning him. "It was my fault," he said to himself, "I have to take care of Nora, no matter what she is like.” He has to take responsibility for her future, no matter how much his own heart hurts. Michael was completely unaware of the fact that the Nora for whom he was feeling guilty, in fact nothing wrong had happened to her. In the apartment in Country M … Ruby was hunched over her desk, twirling a pen and contemplating her new design draft. Her mind was abuzz with creative ideas when suddenly there was a knock on the door. Her trance broke, and she walked towards the door in a bit of confusion. As soon as she opened the door, she saw two people standing in front of her—wearing suits, shining leather shoes, and serious faces. Ruby looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Who do you want to meet?” One of them asked directly, "Are you Miss Smith?” Ruby felt their eyes surveying her from head to toe. She nodded slightly, "Yes, I'm Ruby Smith. But who are you?” One of them wasted no time in saying, “We are from the Carter Group. Your mother, Sienna Smith, once saved the life of the young master of the Carter Group. Now the old woman of the Carter family wishes to meet you.” Ruby furrowed her eyebrows. "The old lady of the Carter family?" Her eyes were filled with suspicion and curiosity as she heard the name. She realized that this was the Carter family that was at the top of the pyramid, one of the most powerful and wealthiest families in the city. It was no small matter to mention his mother's name, and then he remembered—his mother had sacrificed her life to save the young master of the Carter family. Thinking that her mother had done such a great job on her last mission made Ruby's chest swell with pride for a moment. But she quickly composed herself. She was satisfied with her current life, and did not want to give this old family debt any more importance. In a cold voice she said, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to see them.” One of the two men said a little confused, "Miss Smith, I think you should take some time to think about it. The Carter family is quite powerful.” With just one word from you, your every wish can be fulfilled. Coincidentally, our young master hasn't gotten married yet. Wouldn't you like to become the daughter-in-law of the Carter family? Don't you want to be Mrs. Carter?” Ruby looked at them both with a slight smile, as if the proposal did not affect her at all. There was a cold indifference on her face. "Sorry,I don’t lack anything,” he said calmly." There was a confidence and assurance in her voice, which silenced them. Ruby gently pointed towards the door and said, "Please go back.” They both wanted to try to convince her otherwise, but her firm reaction stopped them. The firmness on Ruby's face told them that money and power had no place in her world. As soon as the door closed, Ruby signed and returned to her drafts. Her mother's legacy was precious to her, but her own self-esteem and the world she had created for herself were even more so. She had made a firm decision in her mind—she would not compromise her principles at any cost, even if an empire like the Carter family stood before her. Will Ruby visit the Old Woman of the Carter family?